WTF....... Some People........

conetip said:
Sorry guys, but I find it really hard to get my head around the plastic swell purely from heat.
The most likely situation is that the material does not have a high enough compressive strength, over time of use has compressed and swelled a little.
I just can't see it getting larger in diameter just from rubbing it.
To me, the ferrule has swelled from compressive force, is now junk and needs replacing.
On tip repairs, I only clean the ferrule 1st, and measure it. Put the tape on it, cut off the old one and trim the new tip to the measured ferrule size +0.002 inches , job done.
Most of my customers do not want the shaft cleaned or any sanding of any kind on the ferrule what so ever.
Neil
Your replaced ferrule looks good.
Click to expand...

I did too until I put a ferrule on, used a round nose bit and cut it flush. It felt good and I continued to polish it with 600, 1000, 1500 and held paper on it too long and let it get hot, then felt of it and it was larger than it was before. It had a lip that wasn't there before. This was the soft house ferrule material.
 
I see absolutely nothing wrong with that repair.
Ship it.
Your client should be ecstatic.
If he's not, satisfaction wasn't what he was looking for.

Isoplast ferrule mtrl. is available, you just need to know where to look.
Predator is no longer a source. Me thinks that may be a mistake.

Good Luck, KJ
 
Just as a note about the Isoplast ferrule material. I have some and have made ferrules with it. I have not had any problems with it so far.
Mind you, I do not hand sand very much these days, and when I do, if I feel any warmth under my fingers, I change the piece of paper.

Neil
 
Predator

I don't have very good luck with Laminated shafts... like predator.
Most have warped and delaminated.
About half of these LD shafts are beyond repair, or I don't have the special factory ferrule in stock.

Bottom line is you need to look all the shafts over very careful before you except the Job.

And it wouldn't hurt to listen to them either because they do delaminate.
 
The first thing I do when doing a tip replacement or shaping is to chuck it up and use a dial indicator to see runout at the shaft side of the ferrule about 1/16" from it then move it to about mid ferrule, then at the tip. It's amazing to see how far off the tip of the ferrule can be compared to the shaft over only 1 inch of distance. Most get compressed and deformed from playing. If the size is larger at the tip, I usually will shim to get the shaft running true, if needed, then shave the ferrule slightly to match it, this way the tip will be centered and shaped properly. I have had some predators come thru that had a misshaped ferrule right from the start using the above mentioned procedure. Those I just get as close to zero runout and then replace the tip, no need to shave something already too thin IMO.
Repair looks good hope the customer is happy,
Dave
 
They polish up a lot easier then some ferrules so don't really need to heat them up to do a nice job. Also the ones with that little void at the cap area can swell in that spot due to compression. It's very common in shafts used for breaking. As mentioned It can be shaved but that also thins the wall out. It can buy a little time, but depending on use may eventually need replacing. Due to the design I take the extra steps with these ferrules to be as non-invasive as posible, like taping the ferrule off before gluing the tip to make clean up easier,and so on. The less I have to touch the ferrule the better in my book. Sometimes they are a mess to begin with, and the choice has to be made as to what's worth trying to save, what's better left alone, and what needs replaced. l usually lay out the options as i see them, the difference in costs, along with any suggestions , and let them decide how they want to proceed.
 
Hi,

This has been a great thread and a lot of very experienced people in cue repair have shared some great views.

One thing that I have to share concerning Preditor Low Deflection Low End Mass shafts concerns my own prejudice against them initially and my comming around to judge them fairly.

I had a huge cue repair business for ten years at my Billiars Cafe and Bar and I must admitt I am a purest concerning the use of maple shafts. After ruining a Preditor ferrule and exploring the engineering envolved in the hollowed out shaft end, light weight thin ferrule and fill material involved I contacted Preditor and learned the physics and engineering behind their product.

These shafts are used by lower tier players as well as pros alike as they create a situation whereby when side spin is applied to the cue ball the player does not have to cheat the pocket as much concerning their judgement within a shot. If people like that then they choose these shafts. In the end whatever shaft you use, it is just getting the hit point on the object ball correct and controlling the stroke as it was explained to me by Nick Varner.

Like anything else that requires re engineering of something to achieve a slight gain in performance there is always a trade offs when you push an envelope. So in the end my own policy concerning customer's Preditor Shafts is to install the tip and leave the ferrule alone and is suggested by the OEM.

So to non CMs that are viewing this thread my recommendation is to tell anyone you hire to change a tip on your cue to do just that and leave the ferrule alone. If you have a problem with your ferrule make sure you ship it to Ryan, KJ or someone who has the training and is certified by Preditor to perform such work. If someone else changes your ferrule by installing a wooden tenon and puts on a new ferrule, you won't have a low deflection shaft anymore.

Also I always advise my customers that if they play with Preditor or other brand of LD Shaft, it it wise not to play with other cues with maple shafts other than a break cue. Your game will be better off. Conversely is you play with maple as your main player stay away from the LD because the object ball aim point is very different on spin shots.

JMO of course,

Rick
 
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Thanks for the tips guys. I have worked on a few Pred shafts with no problem so far.

Just very lucky I guess.

If I get a ferrule with deep scratches, I will try and clean them and do a bit of wet sanding.

Some scratches are beyond sanding tho.

I do keep some Isoplast on hand but who wants to replace a ferrule if they don't have to.

I have done favors and worked on seriously cheap Chines cues for people. Try not to do that any longer. I did melt one ferrule beyond recognition so know the look and feeling.

When someone gives me a cue, I usually will give it a good visual anyway. Cracks, that sort of thing, but having a good look at a Pred ferrule is now a more excellent idea.
 
The first time I Ever touched a predator, original, I was somewhat new to cue repair at the time and hadn't thought of cue building...yet. When I decided to buff the ferrule, well it came out like the moon surface !!

Needless to say I was VERY glad...it was my own shaft, and not a customers ! After finding out the replacement cost and that me working on it voided the warranty, I sent it to predator.

From then on I seriously boned up on ferrule materials and what not to do with a predator ferrule ! I prefer a maple shaft personally, but whatever floats your boat.

Now, when I do a repair on a cue, I Very closely examine the shaft or butt for any and all "issues", and make certain before hand the customer agrees to what I suggest for the repair.

You probably wont have any issue from shaving down the ferrule, once, but if it were to do it again, have them send it in for a replacement.
 
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